Preview: Great Britain travel to Argentina for UCI BMX Supercross World Cup

A three-person Great Britain Cycling Team squad travels to Argentina for the fourth and penultimate round of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Santiago del Estero.

Liam Phillips, Tre Whyte and Kyle Evans will race in the elite men’s competition over two days from 6-7 September as South America hosts its second-ever meeting in the series.

Charlotte Green misses the elite women’s event for Great Britain after sustaining a shoulder injury at the British Cycling National BMX Championships last month.

The team

Series leader Liam Phillips is just two rounds away from becoming the first-ever British male to win the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup.

Phillips won the opening round in in Manchester before taking third in Papendal. A poor start in Berlin saw the 2013 world champion eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Despite the setback in Germany, Phillips holds a 40-point lead over France’s Joris Daudet but with 225 points on offer for victory any lead could soon evaporate.

The 25-year-old suffered a disappointing defence of his world title in Rotterdam in July, crashing out in the 1/8 final after a collision with France’s Damien Godet.

But he is now focused on finishing the season strongly by adding another title to his palmares.

“Liam felt a bit short-changed from the world championships,” Great Britain BMX coach Grant White said.

“His race day finished a lot earlier than where he was capable of going in the event. While that was a negative experience and not the outcome he would have liked, motivation-wise he wants to get out there and race.

“He's keen, he's enthusiastic, he’s in great shape just as he was at the worlds, if anything he may even be in better shape. Liam's really looking forward to the next month.”

Tre Whyte is set for his first international appearance since his bronze medal at the world championships in the Netherlands.

The 19-year-old produced a career-best performance at the Ahoy Arena and has been rewarded with a third world cup appearance of the 2014 campaign, having raced in Manchester and Berlin.

He is now keen to build on the result having suffered disappointing results in his two world cup outings this season.

“Tre's result at the world championships was fantastic,” White said. “Now it's a good opportunity for him, he hasn't had to wait long from the worlds to the next world cup race to take some of that confidence.

“He knows that a couple of the world cups prior to that at the start of the season he could have performed better and his end result could have been better, so now it’s time for him at get a few more points and a nice result."

Outside the top 16 in the rankings, White will have to race in Saturday’s qualifiers in order to progress to Sunday’s racing.

Kyle Evans has no such problems, in seventh in the standings after his strongest world cup season to date.

Fifth and eighth-place finishes in Manchester and Berlin respectively, either side of 33rd in Papendal, have highlighted the 20-year-old’s progress.

An overall top-five finish is within reach for Evans, who reached the quarter-finals at the world championships.

The venue

Having made its debut on the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup circuit in the 2013 season, the series returns to the outdoor track at the Sports Centre of Santiago del Estero.

Built in 2011, the track’s eight-metre start ramp is made of concrete and the longer course, like Papendal, will test riders’ endurance.